Memories
by Eternal.Tranquility
Summary: "The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It's the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared." -Lois Lowry, The Giver
1. Prologue

"Maybe you should just ask him about it?"

The thing was though I didn't know how to ask. I mean sure I'm Harry Potter, I'm the boy who lived, my parents died when I was a year old and I knew hardly nothing about them or my godfather, and I wanted to know. Actually I felt like I had some right to know. I mean they were my parents, they brought me into this world and were taken before I had a chance to know them. Sirius, my godfather was sent to prison for something he didn't do and I hadn't really had time to get to know him either. Oh and well almost the entire year Remus was working at Hogwarts there were other things to worry about so we never really talked either. But even with all of that, even knowing that I knew nothing about any of them and had this desire to know, I wasn't sure if I could just ask. And I certainly didn't know how to just ask.

It was hard enough for me still do accept that my parents were dead, that even though I tried to remember what their voices sounded like I couldn't really. Sometimes in dreams I could hear them and I'd know it was them, but other times like when I was just trying to think about them to cheer me up I couldn't. Things like that were hard enough for me, and I didn't even know them. I couldn't even imagine how Sirius or Remus would feel spending a day or more telling me real stories about them and the people they knew at Hogwarts who weren't around. Yet I did still wanna know.

Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and I had all agreed that in our last week before we went back to school that we'd stay at 12 Grimmauld place and help Sirius clean the place up. Sure there was a lot going on with the order getting started again and school coming up. With Voldemort's return, even though people didn't believe me. And well thankfull I wasn't being expelled from school. I think Sirius just wanted us to clean so they could have an order meeting without us and maybe they thought it'd take our minds off everything. Which right now might be a good thing. But so far all it had done was make me and the other curious.

We'd found a box, it was stashed away kind of hidden, and filled with pictures and letters mostly. There was a journal that we hadn't looked in yet, and just seeing everything, seeing all the pictures and people we realized we didn't even know about made us want to know.

I wanted to know more about my parents, how they fell in love. I wanted to know about the blonde Sirius was with in almost every picture. Who she was, what she meant to him. I wanted to know about Remus and the girl he was in a few pictures. And as much as I wanted to know about Peter as well seeing as he was their friend, but that might've made me hate him more than I already did. I mean he did betray his friends, my parents, he helped get them killed and he was supposed to be their friend.

The point of all this was, I wanted to know, but I didn't know how ask.

Hermione thought it might be a good idea to just talk to him. She thought it might work if we all just approached them and told Sirius and Remus that we wanted them to tell us about my parents and them when they were younger. I wasn't so sure about it though. I mean the last thing I wanted to do really was ask them and re-open some wounds that were still healing, and would probably always be healing. I mean what if even now they just weren't ready and would never be ready. I didn't wanna upset Remus or Sirius but asking. Deep down though I knew I'd ask, because my curiosity would get the better of me.

And so I did finally ask. Finally, after looking through at least three boxes of pictures, journals, letters, and all the other stuff from when they were closer to our age Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and myself asked Sirius and Remus at the table before an order meeting if they'd tell us about everything.

The four of us were in for a ride of lifetime hearing these stories, and I actually don't think I could've been happier about that. I wanted to know everything, hear all about the Marauders and their adventures at Hogwarts.


	2. First Meetings: 1971

1 September 1971

Marlene McKinnon sat in her compartment aboard the Hogwarts Express. Her luggage was resting above the seats thanks to her older brother Marcus, and across from her sat her best friends James Potter. They'd arrived at the station that morning together excited to begin their first year at Hogwarts.

"We'll still be friends even if we're in different houses right?" Marlene asked looking across the compartment to the messy haired, hazel eyed boy. She really couldn't bare the thought of not being friends with James. Even if they were both only 11 years old they were such close friends that she didn't know what she'd do without him. After all James Potter, though infuriating, rash, and immature at times, was still her best friend.

James laughed and pushed his square glasses up his nose so they wouldn't fall off his face, then smiled at the blonde curly haired bright blue eyed girl across from him. "Of course we will Marly. We made a promise, and you can't break promises." He told her positive that they'd be best friends still even if they were both put in different houses. Because while she didn't know what she'd do without him, he didn't know what he'd do without her. She was like the sister he'd never been given and what kind of friend would he be if he couldn't even stick by her just because they weren't in the same house?

"Good." Marlene replied with a grin.

* * *

Lily Evans turned her head and smiled at Severus Snape as they walked down the hall on the Hogwarts Express looking for an empty compartment to sit in, but having no luck.

"I guess we could sit here." She said looking into the compartment through the door and seeing it wasn't full yet. Plus neither of the people in the compartment seemed to be older so surely it wouldn't be awkward, and Lily was all for meeting more people her own age going off to Hogwarts. After all this was where she fit in.

"If you want." Snape told her a little skeptical about sharing a compartment with anyone else. He wasn't exactly a social butterfly like Lily was, but if she wanted to sit there then he'd follow her because well he didn't want to have to sit alone.

Lily smiled and opened the door to the compartment before pulling him in with her. "Do you mind if we sit with you guys?" She asked sure they'd say yes.

Marlene looked to the door and smiled at the redhead and smiled before nodding her head. "Of course." She told them not minding sharing the compartment with others. The more the merrier.

"I'm Marlene McKinnon by the way."

Lily smiled at the girl then turned to Severus hoping he really was okay with sitting here. "I'm Lily Evans, and this is Severus Snape." She told replied before taking a seat then smiling at the boy who was also in the compartment with them.

"James Potter." He said finding it really hard not to find Lily Evans very pretty.

* * *

Sirius Black rolled his eyes and shook his head as he stepped onto the Hogwarts Express. He really couldn't believe that his mum thought that somehow he'd disgrace the family name by making friends with the wrong sort of people. He was 11 and just wanted to go to school and be himself but she was worried he'd muck it all up. What did she know about the wrong kind of people anyways, with her crazy pureblood mania. If he actually listened to her he'd be stuck talking to people like his cousin Bellatrix and Narcissa, and he couldn't stand either of them really. He was sure is Regulus was starting Hogwarts this year though he'd listen to their dear mum. Which just made him mad really. He just wanted to find somewhere to sit and then get as far away from London as possible. So he walked into the first compartment he could find, even though there were already people in there. Really he was glad about that, though he did hope they weren't like his family.

He just sent everyone in the compartment a flashy Black smile, and took a seat not seeing any reason they wouldn't want him to sit with them. He didn't know any of them so it wasn't possible they could hate him.

"So I'm Marlene McKinnon." He heard the blonde girl tell him apparently deciding to start the introductions.

"Well Marlene McKinnon, I'm Sirius Black." He told her trying to think of where that named sounded familiar. He was sure it was nothing though really. Probably just one of the families his parents had talked about. Or her parents might've just come to one of the lavish parties his family had hosted in the last eleven years.

"You don't really seem like a Black." Marlene said as if she actually knew something about his family. "My parents took me to a party at your familys house last month and well you just don't seem anything like the rest of your family. I mean I don't even know why my parents wanted to go. Not like your family actually likes my family. I mean I heard what awful things some of them were saying."

Sirius bit his lip still trying to put it together before it hit him like a train. "Wait your mum works at St. Mungos right? And you probably heard my cousin Bellatrix and her sister Narcissa talking with their boyfriends. They're all kind of on this pureblood maina thing. It's totally insane." He told her feeling a little bad almost that she'd heard any of his family talking bad about her own family. He didn't even know what was so wrong with them. His parents didn't usually talk badly about people when they were around, and well Sirius tended not to listen to the things his parents said a lot. Mostly because he didn't want to be sucked into their awful views on the world, or have them making his friends for him. It was like they had this life planned out for him already, a life that he really didn't want.

"Yea. She's a healer." Marlene said with a smile on her face, clearly proud of her mother. And well Sirius wished right then that he could feel that way about his own mother. "And I suppose. I don't really know who it was, just that they really didn't like my family."

"Well my family can be kind of brash at times." He told her. "Just another reason I hope I'm not sorted into Slytherin. I'd rather not be anything like my family and have them hate me than be like them." He told her wishing he could've grown up in a house where he felt welcome to be whoever he wanted to be, and not the one he'd actually grown up in where if he even mentioned being friends with someone who wasn't a pureblood got him yelled at.

"Slytherin isn't that bad of a house." Sirius heard the dark, and kind of greasy looking, haired kid say. "After all Lily and I are both going to be in Slytherin and that doesn't mean that we're automatically bad people." He added, but before Sirius could say anything on that matter the other darked haired boy who was wearing glasses cut in.

"Please." The kid scoffed. "Everyone knows that Slytherin's all about dark magic and that the majority of them are bad seeds. They support the idea that if you don't come from a pureblood family you're a disgrace to the wizarding name. Why would any decent person want to be drug into that?" He said shaking his head. "Anyways Marlene and I are both hoping to be in Gryffindor. Like our parents were."

"Just like we all know that Gryffindors are brazen and bloody gits." Snape sneered at James clearly offended. He was so mad that James could even think that he was better just because he wanted to be put in Gryffindor, so mad he could've cried really.

"Guys calm down." Lily and Marlene both called at the same time before laughing, before getting back on the subject.

"It doesn't matter what house you want to be put in." Lily said resting her hand on Snape's shoulder.

"She's right." Marlene added. "We haven't even been sorted yet and you're all acting like you've already been sorted and can't stand one another." She said wishing this would all blow over. She really didn't think any of them wanted to make enemies before they'd even officially left the station.

"Right. We don't even know what's going to happen, for all we really know we could all end up in different houses." Lily added knowing she wanted to be with Severus but that didn't mean that she would. "Different houses or not surely we could all be friends." She said not seeing why that wasn't possible.

"He said all Gryffindors were bloody gits Marly! That's like an insult." James said crossing his arms over his chest. "If, if Snivellus there wants to be in Slytherin go for it but I for one won't be." He said leaning back into his seat.

"Let's get out of here Lily." Severus said standing up, and Lily followed.

"Okay." She said standing up too. "You know you're kind of a git James." She said before she followed Severus out so they could find another compartment away from people who couldn't even have an open mind about something as simple as what house you're in.

* * *

"James!" Marlene said shaking her head and frowning at James after Lily and Severus had left.

"What Marly? You heard him, he thinks that Slytherin's a good house." James said followed by a huff.

"Yea I heard. But you didn't have to act like a git because of it." She added leaning back in her own seat still a little shocked at what'd just happened. "Just because you like Gryffindor and not Slytherin doesn't mean everyone else is the same way." She added sighing a little.

Sirius really hadn't wanted to be part of this extremely weird fight about what house was better. But he couldn't really help it. "Slytherin really is a bad house though. I mean I haven't heard of any good wizards that've come from it. And maybe this Snivellus kid isn't bad yet. But I'd bet you anything he'd get sucked into the wrong crowd. I mean kids like that are the ones people like my cousins look for to bring to the dark side with them." He said not sure what anyone really saw in that house.

Marlene just rolled her eyes at both boys. "Okay well that still doesn't mean you act like a git about it. You could've ya know been nicer to him."

And before either Sirius or James could say anything else about it someone was clearing their throats and turning all three heads to the door. Where two boys were standing. One was taller with lighter brown hair, he was lanky and in shabby clothes while the other was shorter but his clothes looked almost as shabby.

"Everywhere else is full, uh do you mind if we sit here?" The taller boy asked biting his lip.

"Yea." James said sitting up and deciding that maybe Marlene was right. He supposed he could've been nicer to the Snape kid, but that didn't mean he'd changed his mind. And just so she didn't get on him again he'd apologize to both Lily and her friend when they got to school. After all why would he want to have someone hate him before they'd even started school.

"Sorry if we interrupted something important, we just wanted to find seats before the train left."

Marlene smiled at them both. "You're fine." She told him before holding her hand out to introduce herself to more people. "I'm Marlene McKinnon, and it's nice to meet you both."

The shorter boy shook Marlene's hand, "Peter Pettigrew." He squeaked, really he wasn't used to people being so nice to him at all. Really they usually overlooked him all together. And if they didn't totally overlook him they were laughing at him and making jokes. He especially didn't get pretty girls to talk to him, they always thought he was weird and would usually walk off laughing. "And it's uh nice to meet you too." He told her smiling when he realized she wasn't laughing at him.

"And I'm Remus Lupin." He told Marlene not really used to people being nice to him either. Then again he didn't usually leave his house for anything because his parents were so worried about him so he didn't often get ridiculed. Though he couldn't say he wasn't use to it either because it did happen. That wasn't important though, because well Remus wasn't looking to be friends with any of them. Yea maybe they were nice, but he knew that if they knew the truth about him they'd hate him. Everyone always did. He was just sitting with them because he'd had no where else to sit. He would've much prefered to be alone.

"Well Peter and Remus, I'm James Potter." James said really hoping nothing blew out of proportion this time around.

"Sirius Black." Sirius said once he realized he was the only one who hadn't introduced himself.

Soon enough the train was finally leaving and taking everyone on it off to Hogwarts.

* * *

"Welcome to Hogwarts, the start of term banquet will begin shortly. But before you can take your seats in the great hall you must be sorted into your houses." McGonagall said looking over the new students who stood before her. "While you're here your house will be like your family while you're here at Hogwarts. You'll have classes together, share a common room, and earn house points. The house are Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. Now at the end of the term one house will be awarded the house cup. And whichever house has the most house points wins. You'll earn points by your triumphs, and rule breaking will cause you to lose them. Now if you'll follow me we can begin." She said before turning to open the doors and lead the first years into the great hall, all the way up to a shabby looking hat sitting on a stool.

"This is so exciting." James whispered to Marlene.

"It really is." She replied before looking over at Sirius. "I really hope you get the house you want." She whispered to him.

"Thanks." Sirius replied glad at least someone was rooting for him to not be in Slytherin.

"Well Lily it's almost time to find out if we're in the same house." Severus said with little doubt that they wouldn't be. They had so much in common that they just had to be.

Lily smiled totally just amazed by everything around her. Really she didn't care where she was place, though she didn't want to be apart from Severus. She supposed it was almost time to figure out if they'd be sorted together or not thought.

Remus swallowed thickly as he walked behind Marlene, Peter, Sirius, and James. He was nervous really. He was about to be sorted into a house, and while he didn't really care where he was put, he was more worried about if the hat would know he was a werewolf and let that be known. Because well right now it was a secret, he knew that. He knew that if people knew what he was they'd be scared, and he really just didn't want everyone to know.

Peter walked right in front of Remus anxious to see where he was put. He hoped it'd be the same house as his new friends. Really he was worried if he wasn't put with them they wouldn't even want to be his friends and it was so hard to find people who liked him he'd hate to lose them so soon.

"When I call your name you'll come up and sit on the stool, I'll put the hat on your head, and you'll be sorted." McGonagall said before she opened a scroll that held everyone's name on it. "Benjy Fenwick." She called before a lanky boy with short brown hair walked up to the front and sat on the stool.

"Gryffindor!" The hat bellowed before the hat was removed from his head and he was sent on his way.

"Severus Snape."

Severus walked up to the front and took a seat on the stool and took a breath when the hat was put on his head. Then he waited, let the hat look through his mind and just waited.

"Slytherin!"

The hat was taken off his head and he hopped off the stool then made his way over to the clapping Slytherin table proud to have gotten the house he wanted.

"I'm telling you that one's no good." James whispered, still upset about the whole thing on the train, and a little upset that he hadn't accepted his apology which had only made things worse.

"Lily Evans." Lily walked up towards the stool sending James a mean look on her way. Clearly she was even more upset with James than she'd originally been.

She took her seat on the stool and listened to everything the hat was telling her. She'd do well in Ravenclaw because she had the smarts, but she'd do much better in Gryffindor. Before it finally decided.

"Gryffindor!"

"James Potter."

James smiled at Marlene before he walked up to the stool himself. And he wasn't that nervous really, though he couldn't help but look over towards the Gryffindor table and look around it before he spotted Lily and he smiled. She might've been upset with him for the whole train thing, but surely if he got the chance to explain things to her she'd see that he wasn't a total git like she seemed to think he was.

"Gryffindor!"

And just like that James was walking towards the table where he'd seen Lily.

"Emmeline Vance."

A girl with long brown hair made her way up to the stool next and was sorted into Ravenclaw. Then there was this girl with hair that reminded Marlene much of her own hair with it's curls and unruliness was sorted, also in Ravenclaw. And the group dwindled down.

"Marlene McKinnon."

Marlene walked up and took her seat on the stool. She'd been ready for this moment for so long that honestly she'd been getting kind of anxious. "Ah I see you have smarts much like the rest of your family," the hat told her, "but I see a brave heart." And she let the hat think before it finally bellowed out

"Gryffindor!"

And with what she was sure was the biggest smile ever she practically ran to the Gryffindor table where she was quick to take her seat near James, and Lily. Who was doing her best to ignore him.

"Sirius Black."

The great hall got quiet when his name was called, and well Marlene knew why. Everyone was anxious to see where he'd be sorted. Even she was curious to see what the hat thought. And so when his name was called Sirius walked up to the stool and sat.

"Ah another Black. Hm, but you're not like the rest of them are you?" The hat told him moving his head to look at the Slytherin table where he saw Bellatrix and Narcissa sitting. Not far from them he saw Andromeda, who he sent a smile because he knew even if he wasn't in Slytherin she'd be happy for him. And all Sirius could think was too please be anywhere besides Slytherin. He did not want to be with the rest of his family.

"Well it's gotta be Gryffindor."

And as Sirius stepped off the stool and made his way to the Gryffindor table he couldn't help but feel eyes watching him. Which he knew was just Bella and her sister. They'd probably be writing to his mother as soon as they were back in their common rooms, but he honestly didn't care. What was his mother going to do? Bring him home? She wouldn't do that. Though he'd love to see her face when she got the news. It might've been a little sad really that he was so thrilled with having done something that he knew would upset his mother but oh well.

"Sirius congratulations." Marlene said smiling at him as he sat down. Clearly she was just as happy for him as he was for himself.

"Thanks Marlene."

"Peter Pettigrew."

Marlene watched Peter as he walked up took a seat on the stool, and then she smiled and clapped when he was also sorted into Gryffindor. And when he took a seat next to her she smiled at him. Really she was a little overjoyed that so far all her friends from the train were in the same house as her.

"Remus Lupin."

Remus' nerves were still there, even when the hat was placed on his head. And as it spoke about all the qualities he had he couldn't help but hope it wouldn't mention the whole werewolf thing. That honestly was the last thing he ever wanted to come out. He'd rather have people think anything else about him than know the truth.

"Gryffindor." It finally told him and he went to take his seat at the table, apparently with everyone he'd sat on the train with. He sent them all the best smile he could as he took a seat planning to just watch the rest of the sorting until it was finally over and feast could begin.

Meeting on the train, befriending one another, everything that'd happened so far was only the beginning of their journey.


End file.
